Russian President Vladimir Putin called the actions of the organizers of the Wagner riot a "criminal activity aimed at weakening the country" and said those responsible would be "brought to justice".
The organizers of the Wagner rebellion will be brought to court , Vladimir Putin announced in a harsh televised speech on Monday evening.
The Russian president emphasized that "the armed rebellion would have been suppressed anyway" and stated that
"all attempts to blackmail and organize internal rebellion will end in failure."
"The organizers of the rebellion understood this," he said, without naming the mercenary leader Prigozhin.
“I have taken steps to avoid great bloodshed. This required time and, among other things, for those who made a mistake to change their minds and see the consequences of this step," the president added.
The Russian president emphasized that the fighters of the mercenary group can choose whether to sign a contract with the Ministry of Defense. He confirmed that he would keep his promise to allow Wagner Group fighters to resettle in Belarus if they wanted to.
"Most of the commanders and soldiers of the Wagner group are patriots. They were secretly used against their fellow fighters"
he said.
Putin thanked the Russian people for their "support, patriotism and solidarity," adding that Russian society is "united by the responsibility to defend the homeland," the Guardian reported.
Source: hirado.hu
Photo: MTI/AP/RIA Novostyi/Ramil Sitdikov
